# data[].attributes.body
Section/Pages: 10-25
Members Present:

Discussion Highlights:
- There is a clear social and economic distinction at the school
- Some students can just cruise without having to worry about the future
- The narrator’s grades are very low
- Gershon’s role in the text
- What role will Bill have in the text

# data[].attributes.body
Make sure that everyone has a role in the group and communicates well.

# data[].attributes.body
Section/Pages: Through the end of book
Members Present: All

Discussion Highlights:
- Old School was an interesting book that stresses a lot of key themes that are relatable to high school students.
- This book should still remain on the list of books to read because it was not a difficult read and never seemed too dark or dim.
- Competition is a major theme that was seen throughout the text, but competition has evolved in terms of how people perceive it today.
-
-

# data[].attributes.body
Section/Pages: 10-40
Members Present: all

Discussion Highlights:
- worked through the book at an efficient pace
- everyone was where they needed to be in the book
- all were able to work on the Padlet together in a good manner
- everyone was on the same page, and all discussed possible points of interest throughout the section.

# data[].attributes.body
Section/Pages: 1-10
Members Present:

Discussion Highlights:
- Thomas and Ethan were not here.
- we did not get through our book as much as we should have or as much as we anticipated.
- We moved through the Padlet quickly and efficiently.
- hopefully in the future our group members are here.

# data[].attributes.body
Throughout this novel we see an uprising theme of identity. As the narrator begins to observe all his competitors and classmates, we see him grapple with the feelings of jealousy, but awe. We see various complexities within the skill between the various classmates and that the narrator is having trouble identifying who he actually is himself. We will further identify how the narrator sees himself in a society filled with skilled peers.

# data[].attributes.body
At the school, a tension rises between the narrator and the Gershon (the handyman).  Gershon is from Europe, and the narrator accidentally starts whistling a Nazi march song.  Gershon happens to hear this and Dean Makepeace finds out about it.  After his long discussion, the narrator tries to make peace with Gershon but doesn’t use his “triumph card”.  The narrator refers to this as telling Gershon that he is Jewish.  The narrator feels this is a cheap way to avoid the situation.

# data[].attributes.body
Name: Thomas Giannotti
Email: 25151tg@chaminade-hs.org

Name: Jack Krokondelas
Email: 25217jk@chaminade-hs.org

Name: Ethan Jadan
Email: 25468ej@chaminade-hs.org

# data[].attributes.body
Meeting 1 Date: 1/17
Pages / Section: 1-10

Meeting 2 Date:02/05
Pages / Section: 11-99

Meeting 3 Date: 02/14
Pages / Section:100-149

Meeting 4 Date: 02/29
Pages / Section:150-180

# data[].attributes.body
Be prepared for class with a physical copy of the book or a pdf — note anything important in the text.

# data[].attributes.body
The protagonist is an intelligent and well respected individual. There is already a sense of maturity and coming of age early on in this book, because he is describing his school with incredible detail which implies that he is smart and mature. He also compares the positions of people, and individuals in his school to important figures of history.

# data[].attributes.body
The theme I noticed throughout the novel is a theme of competition. The nature of attending a private school for all boys, especially during the mid 20th century, makes it an extremely competitive environment. The boys compete in all fields whether it be academic or physical, the competive nature in this setting has played a major role in the development of the story

# data[].attributes.body
Quote 1: “It was understood that some of the boys might get a leg up from their famous names or great wealth, but if privilege immediately gave them a place, the rest of us liked to think it was a perilous place. You could never advance in it, you could only try to not lose it by talking too much about the debutante parties you went to or the Jaguar you earned by turning sixteen.”

Discussion: The quote we discussed explores corruption within the school, as well as modern society, and how power intrinsically correlates to wealth that which leads to prosperity in modern society. It also discusses the hierarchical circumstances within the act of corruption and how its perilous nature can only lead you to worsen your circumstances, rather than accrue them. Lastly, the quote discusses that this inherent wealth and power is accumulated not through skill, honor, or pride, but through nepotistic ideals.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
1 Brainstorm a LIST OF THEMES for the book thus far. Then, select one theme from the list and find at least three pieces of textual evidence to support it. 1

# data[].attributes.body
Make sure everyone is around the same spot in the book prior to the next meeting.

# data[].attributes.body
The narrator desperately tries to fit in at his school given his family background.  He references competitions that occur at his school and wants to win the interview with a famous writer.

# data[].attributes.body
Theme: Corruption

Within the ending of the novel we see that the narrator is struggle with the consequences of his actions beyond the confines of a Catholic Boarding school. He is stuck because he does not know if his actions were right or wrong and is weighing the consequences of each decision. Finally, the novel reminds us that corruption is destructive and causes the start of moral decay.

# data[].attributes.body
"We even talked like Hemingway characters, though in travesty, as if to deny our discipleship: That is your bed, and it is a good bed, and you must make it and you must make it well." - page 41

This quote reflects on how the students think of Hemingways literary work. They admire the effort he puts into his writing and realize the effect he has on the school.

# data[].attributes.body
"Rhyme is bullshit. Rhyme says that everything works out in the end. All harmony and order. When I see a rhyme in a poem, I know I'm being lied to. Go ahead, laugh! It's true—rhyme's a completely bankrupt device. It's just wishful thinking. Nostalgia." - This quote shows how negative thoughts

# data[].attributes.body
https://forms.gle/cCJbHs6scjgEERui7

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Access Google Forms with a personal Google account or Google Workspace account (for business use).

# data[].attributes.body
The protagonist is a member of an elite prep school in the mid 20th century, we can kind of relate to him as students of Chaminade because we also attend a private school that is respected and well regarded. This implies that the protagonist is an intelligent and competitive person because usually there is large competition to attend such schools, especially during this time period because the public education system is not well liked.

# data[].attributes.body
Theme: authenticity
The narrator grapples with the theme of authenticity by discovering how to stay true to his work academically. He realizes that not everybody is authentic in the competition and he has to stay true to himself for his work to count because he prides himself in authenticity. This theme allows the reader to reflect and upon this topic and allow themselves to be placed under the microscope, in order to be checked for authenticity.

# data[].attributes.body
“Rhyme is bullsh*t” - page 46…

This quote is interesting because it reflects on the Boys’ natural instinct to go against authority. The boys don’t like how they are writing something, and in a school environment when they are told something they don’t want to do this is their natural response.

# data[].attributes.body
1. We agreed that this is an interesting book that is not difficult to relate to; the text does a good job of allowing the audience to understand the characters.
2. We were able to detail certain traits of the narrator and discuss the text.
3. We plan to all be on the same page prior to next meeting, so that we can be efficient in our discussion.

# data[].attributes.body
1. Everyone was caught up today, and was finished with the book. We all read and finished the book over break so we could be prepared for this meeting.
2. We were all prepared for the meeting, which allowed for us to focus on the main themes and topics of the novel.
3. Everyone was engaged in the discussion today.

# data[].attributes.body
1. The book is starting to become more interesting, the beginning was definitely a lot of characterization, and now it is starting to pick up with building up the main gist of the book.
2. The development of the school setting has become interesting, we related it to Chaminade, as it was an all boys private school.
3. The competitiveness of the boys between each other has also been interesting and relatable to the environment at our school.

# data[].attributes.body
1. Finding the quotes this meeting was fun, because we were connecting common aspects of the book to different areas of Chaminade .
2. Some of our group members are starting to separate in different areas of the book, so for our goal next meeting is for all members to be on page 105
3. Our group finding ways to connect the book to our daily lives has made the book way more interesting and fun to read.

# data[].attributes.body
Thomas: I would recommend this book to all students at Chaminade as it discusses topics such as identity and corruption which we see and experience all throughout our lives  today. As we follow the life of the main character we might see ourselves within aspects of his life and we can reflect upon his actions an decision, so we can make better decisions is our own lives.

Ethan: I would recommend this book to most teenagers, especially those attending Chaminade because it is about boys in a private high school.

Krok: I would recommend this book stay on the list because I believe that many kids at Chaminade may find themselves relating to this book.

Kevin: this book was engaging, so I would recommend it to stay on the list. The themes of competition, and also struggle were themes that I could relate to as a teenage boy.